


the gilding will stick to your fingers

by orphan_account



Category: Cricky - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 12:50:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7574647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis and Harry invite Cris and Ricky over for dinner. Everyone is super nervous about making a good first impression.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the gilding will stick to your fingers

A metallic crash rang out as too many sets of flatware mixed with miscellaneous serving pieces rained down on the floor. “Shit!” Harry exclaimed. He grumbled under his breath as he sat on the dining room floor with a whole drawer from their silverware chest overturned around him. He heard Louis’ footsteps on the stairs and waited for him to turn the corner. Louis’ eyebrows were drawn and his lips quirked into a smirk once he saw Harry’s mess. 

Harry moaned then threw himself backwards like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. “This is going to be a disaster. Is it too late to cancel?” 

Louis looked down at his fiancee, sprawled on the floor surrounded by stainless silver. “You’re not going to make our guests use silverware that’s been the floor, are you?” Harry could detect the strained quality of his voice and his joke fell flat. 

Harry rolled his eyes before sitting up and actually whining, “Lou, I can’t find the slotted spoon anywhere.” Harry started to pick through the pieces again, in the off chance he had just missed it the first six times he looked. “We can’t serve the chicken without it.”

“Haz, pull yourself together. We are absolutely not going to cancel on Cris and Ricky. They’re coming over in…” he bent down to yank Harry’s wrist so he could see the time, “six hours.” Louis took a deep breath before continuing, “Ronaldo is coming to our house in six hours. How did this happen?” He dragged a hand down his face as he loudly exhaled again. 

Harry opened his arms, “Come here, love.” Louis sat atop Harry’s criss-cross applesauced legs and tucked into his chest, giving Harry a tight squeeze. Harry ran his hands up and down Louis’s back in an attempt to calm his own nerves as well as Louis’. He was always better at dealing with stress when he had something to do. And there was still a lot to do. He started mentally flipping through everything left on his to-do list and with a peck to Louis’ forehead extracted himself from Louis’ clutches and began to clean the mess around them. 

△△△

Cris settled Cristianinho in the backseat of their Range Rover, as Ricky sat in the driver’s seat and started the car. The DVD player was set up on the back of Cris’ headrest, just in case Junior didn’t fall asleep as soon as they started the road trip, and they had some fresh produce ready in case he needed a snack. Cristianinho was plenty used to long travels though, they had traveled the whole world together after all, so Cris didn’t anticipate any problems on the four hour drive from Manchester to London. 

They had spent the day walking around Old Trafford; Cris showing Junior the stadium where he played for six years. Cris and Ricky also shared a private laugh or two when they remembered all the storage and equipment rooms where they had secretly gotten off together before he was traded to Real Madrid. They had a lot of fun finding new hiding spots throughout Bernabéu. Junior definitely didn’t need those pointed out to him. 

Their nanny, Amelia, had stayed behind in London to visit with some friends while the family was away on their overnight trip up north. The plan was that they’d drive back from Manchester and Cris and Ricky would get ready for their dinner, leaving Junior with Amelia at the hotel to order room service. 

Cris, and Ricky since he hated traveling without him, had met almost every celebrity on their bucket list, so when the opportunity arose to meet two more, they jumped at the chance. _Made in the AM_ was pretty much played on repeat in their household, whether as background music during lazy Sunday morning brunches or while they were dancing around their walk-in closet getting dressed for a night out. Having dinner at Louis and Harry’s house was going to be the highlight of their quick trip back the UK. 

They were about an hour outside London when Cris’ phone chimed with a text message. _think i have the flu. don’t want to risk jr getting sick_

“Fuck,” Cris swore before swiftly turning his head to see if Junior had heard. He hadn’t; he was fast asleep, head resting at an uncomfortable looking angle on his shoulder. 

Ricky took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at Cris, “What’s wrong, babe?”

“Amelia’s sick and can’t watch Junior,” Cris groaned. In the three years since they had hired her, Amelia kept a perfect record when it came to watching Cristianinho. he knew if she said she was too sick to care for him, she must feel like she’s knocking on death’s door. “I can’t believe we’ll have to cancel.” 

Ricky was silent for a few minutes as Cris glared out the passenger window. “ _Noivo_ ,” Ricky said finally, “maybe we don’t need to cancel. Surely they’d understand if we brought him along.”

“Right,” Cris scoffed, his tone sarcastic, “bringing a kid to a boy bander’s house for a business meeting. I’m sure they get that all the time.” 

Ricky shook his head. “We’ll think of something.” Cris flipped past the radio stations quickly, too annoyed to focus on any of the music coming from the speakers, and continued to pout. It certainly wasn’t Amelia’s fault, but he had been really excited for their dinner.

△△△

Harry finished setting the table and was on his way up the stairs to shower and lay out his outfit before he started to cook their meal. If Harry calculated it correctly Louis should have been just getting out the shower and starting on his hair routine. Instead Louis popped out of their room and shouted down the hall, “HAZZA!” 

Harry came to an abrupt halt on the top step, “Jesus, Lou, you scared me.” He brought his hand to his heart and let out a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Louis gripped the towel wrapped around his waist, his hair wet and flattened on the top of his head. Water dripped on the hallway. Harry shook his head at his loveable menace, “What couldn’t possibly wait until you had dried off.”

Louis giggled, “Soz, thought you were still downstairs. Their sitter canceled, so I told them to bring the kiddo too. Didn’t think you’d mind.”

Harry could feel the blood draining from his face. His mind whirled with things to add to his to-do list. _Find age appropriate toys from the spare kids room. Reset the table. Replace inappropriate phallic statue from entry table._ “Yeah, of course, that’s…” Harry considered that was probably the extent of what would be needed and relaxed. “Of course, that’s totally fine. You told them how much we love kids, right?” 

“Yes. I can already see your tailspin. I’ll grab some toys and move the statue into the closet while you’re in the shower. Nothing we haven’t done a million times before.” He kissed Harry on the cheek as he passed by, water dotting his trail down the hall. 

“Mmm, you smell nice. When you’re done can you come help me pick out my clothes?” Harry was perfectly capable of picking out his own clothes, but he liked watching Louis deep in thought as he mixed and matched patterns and colors and textures until he came up with the perfect combination for whatever event they were attending. 

By the time Harry was done washing himself he found Louis wearing only pants, standing in their closet staring at the array of dress shirts, organized by color, hanging in front of him. 

“We don’t have to wear suits, right? That’d be really weird.” Louis’ bit his lip and tilted his head as he surveyed the options. 

“I’m definitely not wearing a suit.” Harry answered. 

Louis hummed. “That’s what I thought. They mentioned discussing business, but it feels weird wearing one around the house.”

After Harry toweled off and slid into a pair of short athletic shorts. He picked out a few options for dinner attire, all of which were dismissed by Louis for a variety of different reasons. “Haz, they’re like, our main competition for hottest couple. We have to look good.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Sure babe.” His phone started buzzing with the alarm to alert him that he needed to start dinner, “I’ll wear whatever you pick out. You know where to find me.” Harry drew him into a kiss before he left, bracing Louis’ head with one hand, the other placed gently in the dip of his hip. Louis turned pliant under his attention; the trick always worked. Harry whispered in his ear, “Don’t stress about it. Whatever you pick will be perfect.” Then he pulled himself away as his mind was already drawn to the kitchen and making sure dinner was perfect. 

△△△

Ricky knew how stubborn Cris could be. It played a part in how talented he was; refusing to give up until he mastered a skill was an upside, digging his heels in and not asking for help was a downside Ricky dealt with often.

Ricky handed the hotel valet the keys as Cris helped Junior climb out of the tall vehicle. Ricky shot off a quick text while the other two were occupied, then followed them into the hotel, thanking the doorman as they passed through. By the time they were on the elevator, Ricky had a response. 

“Hey Love, I just texted Louis. It’s not a problem at all for us to bring him.” Ricky smiled at the boy. “He said they have kids over all the time.”

Cris bit his lip, “Really?”

“Yeah, really. So you can stop stressing about how you’re going to cancel and go back to stressing about your pitch.” Ricky smirked at the slack-jawed look Cris leveled at him. “Been with you long enough to know what’s bugging you.”

Cris patted the top of the Junior’s head. “Change of plans, Cristianinho. Amelia’s sick so you’re coming to dinner with us. Junior shrugged, still groggy with sleep from the car ride. “Are you excited to meet half of One Direction?” He nodded, eyes now wide open. 

The choices in their wardrobe were much smaller than they were used to, since they had tried to pack light for the short trip. It still took them far longer than they were planning to get ready so they were running late by the time they took the elevator back down and retrieved their car from the valet, tapping the Hampstead address into their sat nav. 

Ricky assured Cris over and over again through the drive that Harry and Louis wouldn’t flat out say no to his pitch. “Louis is a huge football fan, he’s played in multiple charity matches. Don’t forget that. Of course he’ll at least hear you out.” Cris looked skeptical of Ricky’s optimism, but he stopped biting his nails, so Ricky counted it as a win. 

△△△

Louis’ stomach growled as the smells from the kitchen started to make their way upstairs. Harry was making Louis’ favorite, chicken cacciatore with lemon poppy seed noodles and a side of green beans. He finished the final touches on his quiffed hair and made his way downstairs to see if Harry needed any help. Louis found him with his head in the oven prodding at the dutch oven. “Watched pot never boils, Haz.” Louis loved watching him move about the kitchen in little more than an apron. 

“I know, just making sure it’s turning out perfect. I’d die of embarrassment if I served them uncooked chicken.” Harry gave Louis an exaggerated grimace. “Can you imagine the write up in the Sun? How many different ways do you think Wootton could insinuate that we’re all just friends?” 

Louis stuck out his tongue then pulled Harry in for a hug. “Gross. Don’t want to think about that douchebag. I’m too busy freaking about what Cris could possibly want to talk to us about.” He untied the apron strings and pulled it over Harry’s curls. “I’ll grab the wine while you get dressed. What do you suggest?”

Harry answered as he walked out of the kitchen. “We should have some Pinot Grigio in the fridge, that’d probably pair well.” Louis hoped he’d like the Marc Jacobs ensemble picked out for him. There wasn’t much time to pick out a backup option. 

Louis was trying to decide between a somewhat upbeat Spotify playlist or a more mellow jazz mix when the doorbell rang. They gave their gate code out to so few people that the the shrill tone of the bell surprised him. Normally they’d buzz open the gate then leave the front door propped open a few centimeters. But these were not normal circumstances. 

Louis could hear Harry thudding down the stairs. They met in the hallway, Harry’s eyes wide as he took a few deep breaths. Louis could feel his own heart thudding. He grasped Harry’s hand as they made their way together to the front door to let in their guests. “It’s going to be fine, right?” Louis needed one last reassurance from Harry. 

“It’s going to be more than fine,” Harry responded.

△△△

From the moment the couple entered their home, the whole night went off without a hitch. Louis showed Junior the array of super heroes, dolls, and art supplies he had brought down but unsurprisingly Cristianinho was far more interested in challenging Louis to a game of FIFA. The adults made small talk while they loaded the game; how much Ricky and Cris were enjoying their brief trip back, places in Portugal where Louis and Harry needed to visit on their next holiday, how the video game graphics had improved so much from when they were kids. 

Harry excused himself to finish the last minute dinner details and Ricky offered to help. Without the buffer of their partners, Louis was extremely aware that he and Cristiano Ronaldo were sat on his sofa. Cristiano Ronaldo. Louis had met many of his sporting heroes, he’s had the opportunity to shake Pele’s hand twice… but none of them were sat on his sofa like they were old pals. 

“I just want to say that I am a massive, massive fan,” Louis started to gush. “When I got your call I honestly thought Niall was putting one over on me.”

Cris laughed, “Yeah, I remember.”

“Shit, of course you do, you were the one who had to prove that you were Cristiano Ronaldo while I prattled on like an idiot.” Louis shook his head. “Sorry, this is still a little surreal.”

“It’s always nice to meet a fan. And we’re,” he made a vague motion toward the kitchen, “Ricky and I, we’re big fans as well.” Louis couldn’t quite believe him, but then Junior scored a goal and they dropped the conversation while they celebrated. 

Over dinner, Cris asked Louis and Harry if they’d be interested in helping him organize a charity football match. Louis almost fell out of his chair in surprise and blurted out, “Yes! Of course!” before realized he hadn’t checked in with Harry. But when he turned to have one their silent, eyes-only conversations, he found Harry looking at him with the scrunched nose fond look their fans constantly rib him about. He knew Harry was in too, didn’t need to confirm with him really, other than it being the nice thing to do. At the same time they both turned their heads back to the other couple, and Louis found Cris looking just as fondly at Ricky. Tumblr would be melting if there was video of the past two minutes. 

They were still in the very early planning phases, so there wasn’t much else to say about it, other than how excited Louis was and that they’d do anything at all to help out. Louis knocked Harry’s elbow then said, “Maybe we can convince young Harold here to play too.” He knew he shouldn’t, really, boasting could be so ugly, but he was so proud of his boy, “You know he just shot a movie. I bet he could rope some of the other actors into playing too, proper charmer this one is.” Louis loved the small blush creeping up his cheeks. 

Over dessert, airy pavlova topped with fresh berries—god, Louis must have thought for the millionth time, how did he get so incredibly lucky to end up with Harry—Louis suggested they have a quick kick around in the garden. If this was his one chance, he was going to take it. So while they played a slow and easy match,they were all full from dinner, they all chatted easily about both engagements and wedding plans. Ricky confessed they were having another child while Louis and Harry admitted that they’d want as many as their house could possibly hold. 

It took Junior whining that he was tired and wanted to go to bed before they called it a draw. Louis still felt like the whole night had been a fever dream; how was it possible that they all fit together like old friends?

△△△

Cris only had to wait for them to back out of the driveway before Ricky was saying told you so. 

He gripped Ricky’s hand over the center console. “Thank you,” he said earnestly. “Thank you for making all my dreams come true.”

Ricky brought their hands up to his lips and kissed Cris’ knuckles. “It’s going to be brilliant. You’re going to raise so much money.”

“We,” Cris emphasized, “always we. Couldn’t do it without you.” Cris thanked his lucky stars for whatever he did in a previous life to have this man beside him now. 

△△△

Louis flopped on the sofa as soon as they had finished their goodbyes and closed the door. Harry leaned against the door jamb, watching his beautiful love run his fingers through his hair, ruining his quiff, then pushing the whole mess back up off his forehead. Louis looked up at him from across the room. “Is this real life?” he asked Harry. 

Harry exhaled a laugh. “A night for the memoirs for sure.” He thought about the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, but couldn’t resist Louis’ draw. He sat next to him, Louis lifted his legs to make room, then set them down on Harry’s legs. Harry repeatedly drew different shapes on Louis’ calves with his finger, a triangle, then a square, then a circle. Repeat. Repeat. The nervous exhaustion finally caught up with them, Louis’ eyes drooped and finally stayed shut even as he quietly moaned at Harry’s hands dancing over his body. Harry couldn’t imagine a life without his charming boy, and smiled to the empty room at the thought that they’d get to spend the rest of their lifetimes together. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was an exercise in alternating close POVs. Hope you enjoyed. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Come scream with me about Louis or Harry or Cricky on Tumblr](http://www.louandhazaf.tumblr.com)


End file.
